Women of Justice club/Org is a women led organization founded in 2015 to empower women and youths through farming, skills training and saving, women’s rights and sexual health rights, and health care and education. Justice in the name is acronym for Justness, Unsparing Strategies Through Innovative Community Empowerment.
Women of Justice works with women and youths by educating and empowering them to pioneer change and innovation in Zambia. It is determined to change the world by mobilizing the power of women and youths against poverty, coming up with lasting solutions for homelessness, and maternal and child health.
It also facilitate self help projects for its members. It has 17 stuff and over 195 direct beneficiaries, and has expanded to six communities in Lusaka alone in the last 2 years. Most of its direct beneficiaries are widowed women, senior citizens and unemployed youths– its initiatives have helped its members go back to school and start businesses through the savings and skills training program. Its main source of income is farming, it grows maize, soya beans, trees and groundnuts; keeps village chicken, rabbits, ducks and incubate eggs for hatching; and produce handmade doormats, bottle decor which are sold locally.
Women of Justice offers psycho-social counselling, health care and education, HIV/AIDs sensitization and mobilization, skills training, scholarships for girl child and advocate prevention of Gender based violence and represents victims with local authorities.
It works with local stakeholders to finding lasting solutions to the root causes which keep people in poverty. It is currently collaborating with the government and local stakeholders.
Our Mission:
Advocate for women and youths on issues of Education, Health, Human Rights and allocation of fair Empowerment opportunities.
Our Vision:
By 2040, reach women of all communities in Zambia, and equip them with skill-set necessary to cause and preserve development.
History
On 30th February, 2015 Mary Zulu organized forty-five women of Kanyama constituency and proposed her plan; to open a club and empower members and girl child who are struggling in the community. She saw a need; women are underrated, undervalued, and girl child forced into early marriages due to poverty. Among the forty-five that attended that meeting, were five business women, two civil servants, the rest were either widowed or housewives.
On 12th May, 2015 only nine submitted their letters of interest for membership. Women started teaching each other financial literacy, doormat making, bottle decor and crochet, and sold what they made to raise capital. By the end of 2015 the club was financially capable to help other women who weren’t tied to the club– Mary Zulu and team started offering free counselling services and skills training.
Women from within and other communities started submitting letters of interests, before the end of 2016 it had registered fifty-two new members from two communities within Lusaka and had started working with the government. Early 2017, a board was elected (women above 35 years) Mary Zulu as Director and Eneless Bukumo as Programs Coordinator. On 28th July, 2017. it registered pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Societies Act Cap 119 of the laws of Zambia.
The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, and Ministry of Agriculture came on board to support members of the club, registering it in a Farmer Input Support Program (FISP), Financial Literacy and Tree Farming Training.
Considering the vast number of cases affecting women and cries from women and girls to address them, the club resolved to focusing on five important cases affecting every woman in Zambia; Homelessness, Financial Illiteracy, Maternal and Child health, Womens’ Rights and Sexual Health Rights, and HIV/AIDs. This also came with a need for professional representatives– it employed a few.
During the Annual General Meeting held on 15th May, 2018. Mary Zulu suggested that the organization needed youth involvement for it to achieve greater results in impacting youths. On 2nd August, 2019. it employed youths to manage some major positions, and the board was resolved to two male youths, four female youths and twelve women (four senior citizens). among the youths were Prince Henry Chilonga, a Clinician and Author as Youth Chairperson and Programs Coordinator who’s currently working as Jnr Country Director. And Esther Ngoma, a Mechanic as Gender Based Violence Activist.
The organization recorded a vast growth in 2020, it expanded to three provinces and helping the poor. It started organizing self-help projects for its members in Poultry Farming, Doormat making and Tree Farming. In 2021, it collaborated with the U.S Embassy to Zambia.
As of 2023, the organization has recorded over 300 new members, 195 direct beneficiaries and 400+ indirect beneficiaries. And continues to support a healthy, peaceful and green economy.